This panel seeks to explore the rhetoric and practice of film criticism from a variety of approaches, focusing in particular on questions of medium specificity, the relationship between film criticism and cinephilia, and the use of film criticism to make claims about value in the arts. As an object of scholarly inquire, film criticism has long suffered from neglect. However, recent technological changes impacting both cinema and cultural criticism have brought film criticism to the fore in contemporary debates in film culture. This panel draws inspiration from these recent debates to investigate the history of film criticism writ large, from its inception in industry trade journals to the proliferation of film criticism on the Web.

Possible topics include:

- Film criticism and technological change - Film criticism and cinephilia, community, and fandom - Journalistic film criticism and academic film criticism - Studies of individual film critics - Studies of film criticism at particular publications or websites - Film criticism and canon formation - Film criticism and reception of films, directors, or genres - Relationship between film criticism and other forms of cultural criticism

Please send an abstract of 250-300 words and a brief bio to Jason Kelly Roberts at jasonroberts2010@u.northwestern.edu no later than 7 August. Participants will be notified of acceptance no later than 15 August. Panelists must have current SCMS membership to present at the conference.